CAS Supports Educational Opportunities

CAS Makes a Difference Through Education and Outreach With the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count behind us, and 2023 ahead of us, it’s almost time to start making new bird lists! It’s also a good time to make a list of the many ways that Columbia Audubon has participated in Outreach and Education missions this

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CAS Teacher Scholarships

Molly Wheatley was the 2020 recipient of a CAS Teacher Scholarship. Because of COVID, she attended the Hog Island Audubon Camp in 2022. I was fortunate enough to spend a week in Hog Island, Maine studying birds. As a teacher, science is one of my favorite topics. My students loved the unit on bird watching!

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Columbia Audubon Properties support Pollinators

Pollinators are needed to produce one out of every three bites of food you eat. There are over 450 species of bees in Missouri. Flies, spiders, beetles and even birds and bats can be pollinators. Insect pollinators live a portion of their lives as a caterpillar. A pair of Black-capped Chickadees will feed their hatchlings

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ComoGives Underway!

CoMoGives officially began on Giving Tuesday – November 29th and runs through December 31st. We are excited to be part of this annual online fundraising drive once again that helps local nonprofits raise money to help our community. In 2021, 113 donors contributed over $11,000 to CAS through CoMoGives. Our goal during this year’s campaign

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Note from the President

Columbia had a rare visitor in November. Amanda Jackson lives in south Columbia and emailed me on November 4th with a picture attached of a hummingbird she thought could be an Allen’s. I sent the picture to people that know more that I – a Rufous Hummingbird would be the most likely species this time

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CAS Board Meeting Highlights for November 16, 2022

Upon review and board approval, final meeting minutes are posted to the Minutes page. Following are highlights of the unapproved minutes from the November 21, 2022 CAS board meeting: Treasurer’s Report Eric Seaman reports money was transferred from the PayPal Account to the General Account to increase security. Nature Areas John Besser reports a large,

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Blackbird Roost again in Boone County

The opportunity to observe millions of blackbirds in a single roosting site is back! In January 2020, Joanna and I first reported a massive concentration of blackbirds using a winter roost site in northern Boone County. Many viewers were drawn to the site by the fascinating spectacle of millions of birds flooding into a single

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Clouds and Silver Linings of Property Ownership

Columbia Audubon Society is blessed with “silver linings” in the form of wonderful members who volunteer their time and expertise. The properties owned by CAS are another example of a silver lining. Among the properties owned is Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary (CANS) – a great birding destination open to the public. If clouds can have

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200 Year Commemorative Plaque placed at 200+ year old White Oak at CANS

Months ago, the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department was making plans to celebrate the 200-year anniversary of the founding of Columbia. Included in the celebration was the recognition of trees in Columbia that were present to “see” the establishment of Columbia, Missouri. Columbia Audubon Society was contacted to confirm interest in participating in the celebration

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Nature Area Notes

CANS Stream Team On Wednesday, November 9, Bill Mees and I met with Sarah Davis, leader of a stream team that is interested in monitoring water quality of Scotts Branch Creek. We walked the creek from our footbridge downstream to the city boardwalk. There wasn’t much stream to find, only a series of pools with

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2nd Grade Band With Nature prompts Thank You to CAS

The following letter came from Ragan Webb of Columbia Public Schools after the Band With Nature program last month. Many thanks to all who support this program. Following the letter is a list of birds banded and recaptured this year. Audubon Board and Members- Thank you so much for your support of CPS Science, especially

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